Date

Special Request for Proposals
Bering Sea Integrated Ecosystem Research Program
North Pacific Research Board

Pre-proposal Deadline: Wednesday, 22 November 2006
Full Proposals Invited By: Friday, 15 December 2006

For more information, please see:
http://www.nprb.org/research/bsierp_intro.htm


The North Pacific Research Board (NPRB) has entered into a partnership
with the National Science Foundation (NSF) to jointly support a
vertically-integrated investigation of the Bering Sea ecosystem during
fiscal years 2007-2012. This partnership is based on the newly developed
NSF-NPRB Management Plan:
http://doc.nprb.org/web/BSIERP/Final%20NSF-NPRB%20management%20plan%20O…

The scientific foundation for the partnership is the 2005 NSF-Bering
Ecosystem Study (BEST) Implementation Plan:
http://www.arcus.org/Bering/reports/index.html

and the NPRB-Bering Sea Integrated Ecosystem Research Program (BSIERP)
Request for Proposals and Implementation Plan:
http://doc.nprb.org/web/BSIERP/BSIERP_Implan_10-20-06_NSF-partnership_r…

This partnership focuses the research on the Eastern Bering Sea shelf
south of St. Lawrence Island. Both programs seek to support meritorious
scientific research that will improve understanding of how the highly
productive marine ecosystem of the Bering Sea may respond to climate
change, particularly as mediated through changes in seasonal sea ice
cover.

The NPRB is committing $14 million to its program (that includes ship
time). That amount will last for six fiscal years starting in 2007. NPRB
anticipates there will be a partial planning year, three major field
seasons during calendar years 2008-2010, and two years for analysis,
synthesis, and reporting. Online submission for pre-proposals will
become available Wednesday, 1 November 2006 at:
http://www.nprb.org/research/bsierp_intro.htm

NSF anticipates issuing a separate solicitation later this year.

Though the announcements will be separate, this partnership is striving
for a fully integrated and coordinated program. Proposals submitted
under each program will be shared between NPRB and NSF and final funding
decisions will made based on the regular scientific standards applicable
to each organization as well as upon which of the proposed projects to
both organizations create the best overall ecosystem program from
physical oceanography to humans.

For more information, please see:
http://www.nprb.org/research/bsierp_intro.htm